AI’s double-edged role in Indigenous land protection: UN experts warn of risks and opportunities

AI aids Indigenous land protection—but at what cost?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool for Indigenous communities, enabling them to detect illegal logging, track wildfires, and monitor traditional lands. However, the data centers powering AI infrastructure are driving new environmental threats by consuming vast amounts of water, energy, and critical minerals—resources often extracted from Indigenous territories.

This paradox was at the center of discussions at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where Indigenous leaders are grappling with how to leverage AI’s protective capabilities without exacerbating the extractive forces they have long resisted.

New study highlights AI’s dual impact on Indigenous territories

A recent study by Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a Mbororo Indigenous leader and former chair of the UNPFII, examines both the opportunities and risks AI presents for environmental protection and Indigenous lands. The report warns of potential land-grabbing, water overexploitation, and land degradation due to AI’s high energy, water, and mineral demands.

“For generations, Indigenous Peoples have protected the world’s most intact ecosystems without satellites, without algorithms or technologies,” Ibrahim told Mongabay. “AI can become a powerful ally to that stewardship, if it is used on our terms in a culturally appropriate way.”

Ibrahim emphasized that AI, when combined with Indigenous knowledge, can enhance biodiversity monitoring, detect deforestation, illegal mining, wildfires, and water contamination through satellite imagery and sensors. She added, “When combined with Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, AI can help predict climate impacts, track wildlife movements, and strengthen land-use planning while helping to plan faster resilience strategies.”

Indigenous communities using AI to combat deforestation in Brazil

In Brazil’s Acre state, the Katukina/Kaxinawá Indigenous Reserve—ranked among the top five areas at risk of deforestation—has deployed AI to combat illegal activities. A forecast from an AI tool developed by Microsoft and the Brazilian nonprofit Imazon helps prioritize monitoring efforts.

Siã Shanenawa, one of 21 agroforestry agents in the reserve, explained the importance of land monitoring: “It is very important to monitor the land because we Indigenous people are safer when we can detect if someone is invading, if someone is taking wood from our land, if someone is hunting directly on our land, if someone is putting up a fire close to our land.”

Sámi AI Lab explores inclusive AI applications

Lars Ailo Bongo, a professor at the UiT The Arctic University in Norway, leads the Sámi AI Lab, which investigates how AI can support the Sámi people. While acknowledging that AI is not yet fully inclusive, Bongo sees potential in its ability to democratize data-driven modeling aligned with Sámi perspectives and norms.

“AI can democratize access to the analytical capabilities needed to conduct data-driven modelling aligned to Sámi views and norms,” Bongo said in an email.

Inuit and Chad communities blend AI with traditional knowledge

In Nunavut, Canada, Inuit communities are integrating traditional knowledge with predictive AI models and time-series analyses to identify new fishing locations as climate change disrupts fish availability.

Similarly, in Chad, Indigenous pastoralists are combining participatory mapping, satellite data, and predictive AI tools to anticipate severe droughts and secure transhumance corridors, enhancing their climate resilience.

Rainforest Foundation US combines technology and tradition

The Rainforest Foundation US supports Indigenous communities in South America by integrating traditional knowledge with evolving technologies—such as planting boundary trees, smartphones, and drones—to protect their territories.

“AI is the latest tool